Running an exhibition stand for your business can be a fantastic marketing opportunity, helping you to increase your brand awareness, generate leads and communicate your products or services with your audience face-to-face.
However, the key to success lies in preparation and failure to do so can cause a recipe for disaster! Whether you’re debuting at a major event or have previous exhibiting experience, preparation is essential.
In this blog post, we explore the ultimate exhibition checklist, with essential tips to guarantee that your stand runs smoothly, attracts the attention of your target audience, and makes a lasting impact. From your stand design and promotional materials to engagement with visitors, planning and preparation are crucial for a successful exhibition experience.
1. Define Your Business Goals for Success
The first step on our checklist is to define your business goals when it comes to your exhibition stand and to ultimately be clear on the reason why you’re exhibiting.
Is your business promoting the launch of a new product? Looking to generate leads? Building brand awareness? Establishing your key goals and objectives will help you to structure your event strategy, choose the right exhibition stand for you, and get the most out of your exhibition experience!
If you’re looking to generate leads, it’s important to create an effective lead collection strategy with a clear call to action. Retain your customers through digital sign-up forms via tablets or QR codes and business cards or even organise event-specific giveaways (as long as they hold value to your audience!).
2. Choose the Right Exhibition Stand Design for you
Whatever your goals, it’s important that your exhibition stand stands out from the crowd. Think about the visual impact of your stand and how functional the space is for both your team and visitors. When you work with an experienced and award-winning exhibition stand supplier like Clip, we help you to choose an exhibition stand design and trade show booth that’s right for you, your business and the event venue.
From our bold lightbox display stands, such as Pixlip Go by Clip, to our reusable Modular Exhibition Stands or Sustainable Exhibition Stands – we’ve got just what you need to get you noticed and stand out against your competitors!
3. Create Engaging Marketing Material
After organising your stand design and trade show team, it’s time to plan your marketing material. The information you display at your stand is key to capturing attention and sparking interest from event attendees. From eye-catching infographics and digital displays to informative brochures or branded pens and keyrings, it’s crucial to make sure your content communicates your brand effectively, and you’re stocked up on any printed material!
To engage your visitors even further, why not organise live product demos or consultations at your stand?
4. Plan the Logistics
While event logistics might not sound as exciting as the design or marketing elements previously discussed, they’re critical for ensuring operations run smoothly. Logistics involve everything from setting up your stand to coordinating travel arrangements, so organisation is the key to success!
Key logistics checklist:
- How will you transport booth materials and products?
- Is there travel and accommodation for your team?
- What is the event timing, including set-up times and instructions?
- Do you have necessary electrical equipment (power for displays, lighting, etc)?
5. Prepare Your Trade Show Team
Your team is ultimately the face of your business at an event, so it’s vital to ensure everyone is well-prepared. Having a clear understanding the event’s schedule, booth layout and, most importantly, goals and key talking points will ensure smooth and successful engagement with visitors.
To get the maximum value from your investment in an exhibition stand or trade show, it’s vital that everyone in your team understands the key roles they need to play and tasks to complete. From the friendly Greeters who break the ice, to the logistical Techie and knowledgeable Specialist, it’s important to assign the key roles to the correct team-members.
6. Promote Your Exhibition Before the Event
Don’t wait until you’re at the exhibition to start engaging with potential visitors! It’s important to begin promoting your presence before the event. From social media posts with event-hashtags, to email newsletters offering a discount or deal to those visiting your booth, make sure to spread the word to your audience about your attendance before the event begins.
7. Strategise the Post-Event Follow-Up
The event doesn’t end when the doors close. The work continues behind the scenes and a strong post-event strategy is key to using the contact information sourced to convert your leads into customers before they go cold.
To contact your leads immediately, you could
- Drop a personalised or automated email or LinkedIn message to everyone you spoke with.
- Schedule follow-up calls or meetings with hot leads.
- Share post-event content (videos, blogs, social posts, etc), using event and company tags and hashtags.
With this exhibition checklist in hand, you’re ready to create an unforgettable exhibition experience at any trade show and event that will leave a lasting impact on your business – good luck! Get in touch with Clip about your exhibition stand needs and discover how we take the stress away from exhibiting to deliver you an amazing exhibition stand that will exceed your brand’s objectives.
